Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Have you ever had Scotch Eggs? I had never heard of them until I married my husband. Back in the day, when we were doing the Atkins diet, I ran across this recipe and my man loves them. They aren't breaded and they aren't fried, but they are Scotch Eggs! Maybe your man would like them too as he is going out the door to work. It's a great way to get protein in your diet and keep the grumblies away until lunchtime!

I'm posting the recipe as I found it (can't remember where) and just letting you know that I don't do a dozen at a time, but four. I divide the sausage roll in half and then each half in half again. Then I have four clumps of sausage to wrap around four hard boiled eggs. After they have cooled, I put them in a baggie or bowl and place them in the fridge. Hubby wraps his in a paper towel and nukes it in the morning.

Hard boil the eggs and cool. Divide each pkg. of sausage into 4 equal parts and form patties. Wrap eggs in patties forming them around the eggs evenly. Place on a cookie sheet and bake 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes till done. Slice and eat. Also good cold.

Monday, January 30, 2012

I did fairly well last week with my menu plan. All plans are subject to change with me though depending on what sort of day I've had, if I've gotten to the store yet, or what type of food I might be craving. Are you the same? I still like to have a plan though. I make a grocery list and then I always have the ingredients for the food I plan. If I decide not to make it the night it is scheduled, I still have all the makings and can make it another night, or another week, if I want to.

This week I have a lot of my freezer meals on my menu. This will make dinner time easy and not much clean-up either. Here is my plan for this week:

Friday, January 27, 2012

In my life this week…well, this week went by quickly! Nothing much to report here. Still pinching myself that hubby got a great job. God is good!

In our homeschool this week…just enjoying teaching my soon-to-be 13 year old! She loves homeschooling so it makes teaching her a joy!

I am inspired by…the calm after the storm. We had some strong winds and rain go through last night and today the sun is shining and it is beautiful outside. God is good!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…going to my MIL's tomorrow and going to play some boardgames, eat some fun snackie things and fellowship.

My favorite thing this week was…listening to daughter's itunes with her. I remember when I was her age and certain songs meant so much to me too.

What’s working/not working for us…believe it or not, I'm getting to bed a bit earlier. I am waking up when hubby does about 4 or 4:30, which is way to early to get up so I usually get on my ipod touch and play solitaire a while and then go back to sleep. I'm still sleeping too late. I think I need to set my alarm clock. But, then again, I may just need the sleep.

Things I’m working on…still working on this house. Well, more like THINKING about all the stuff that needs to get done and then doing NOTHING. Ugh.

I’m reading… my Bible daily and sometimes getting back to Mansfield Park. I haven't been in much of a book mood for weeks. I read a lot online it seems. I spend way too much time on Pinterest! Check out my boards. I have some really neat stuff there.

I’m cooking…yummy meals for my family. Check my menu every Sunday night or Monday morning. I always post my menu for the week. I don't always follow it as written. I often switch things around. I post recipes too.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

I got to make most everything on my menu last week and planning to do the same this week. I cooked a ham yesterday so I have plans for that this week. I will be incorporating it into this week's meals, including some breakfasts and freezer meals as well as just freezing slices and diced ham for future meals. If we get tired of ham before we get through the week, I will go ahead and make the meals and freeze them anyway and we'll eat something else. I have another ham in the garage fridge. I couldn't pass up the Christmas prices! : )

Here is the plan for this week:

Monday:

Ham and Potato Casserole (double recipe and freeze one pan), Salad

Ham and Potato Casserole

2 pounds hash browns, frozen (cubed)

1 1/2 cups white sauce

2 tablespoons butter -- melted

16 ounces sour cream

2 cups cooked ham -- cubed

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup green onion -- chopped

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

To assemble for freezer: Combine ingredients in a large bowl or plastic tub and mix well. Place mixture in a 9x13 pan or a Ziploc bag for freezing.

To serve: thaw completely. If desired top with corn flake topping. 2 Cups of corn flakes and 1/4 cup melted margarine mixed together. I omit the cornflake topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or frozen casserole may be baked for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

NOTES : My notes: I have used shredded has browns and the family likes them as well as cubed has browns if not better.

Cook asparagus until just tender. Melt fat in heavy saucepan. Stir in flour, salt and mustard. Gradually stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Add cheese and continue stirring until cheese is melted. Divide asparagus into 6 portions. Place asparagus portions on and parallel to narrow end of each ham slice. Roll as for jelly roll with asparagus in the center of each roll-up. Arrange roll-ups in a baking dish with seam side down. Pour sauce over roll-ups. Bake at 350 degrees until sauce is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Note: I always use fresh asparagus in season. And, I use the microwave to cook the asparagus and heat the roll-ups. Cook the prepared roll-ups on medium for 7 to 10 minutes.

1/2 teaspoon mace (I don't have this, but have been told I can substitute nutmeg, not sure if I will, I may just omit this ingredient)

1 quart tomatoes, canned

Soak beans overnight in water to cover by 2 inches. Drain beans. Add water to cover beans by 1 inch. Cook beans with ham hocks (I use a ham bone with some meat) for at least 2 hours on low heat. Remove ham bone from beans and let cool. Add all other ingredients. Remove ham from the bone and return ham to the bean mixture. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Friday, January 20, 2012

In my life this week…what? It's Friday??? This week has flown by for me. I guess it is because Hubby had Monday off or something. It's just hasn't felt like Friday to me.

In our homeschool this week…plugging along. It's a little scary to be teaching math now that hubby has a job. I may just get his help for a few hours on the weekend. Even though I have a college degree, math is just not my forte. I am very insecure about my ability to teach it. I know I'm not alone here. It is quite common among us homeschooling moms.

I am inspired by…my hubby who got a 100 on his math test at work today. Now you see why I like him to teach our daughter math!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…Robyn went with her grandmother and great aunt to Rockwood today to see her grandfather's grave and mama's old stomping grounds. I took Robyn to the dentist this week for a check up and cleaning and then we went to our favorite book store to hang for a while.

My favorite thing this week was…teaching my daughter and seeing the look of accomplishment on her face when she was acing her quizzes.

What’s working/not working for us…trying to stick to a schedule. I love to plan but boy do I have a hard time sticking to the plan. We are getting to bed earlier though, even though I have a difficult time getting to sleep and I end up rising later than I'd like. One of these days I will get this worked out.

Things I’m working on…self-discipline.

I’m reading…my bible on a daily basis and still reading Mansfield Park.

I’m cooking…made cookies yesterday. Any left today? Not many. See my Monday Menu to see what I feed my family every week.

I’m grateful for…hubby's job. I still want to pinch myself. God is good.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Have you ever made homemade sausage? I've been worried about all the nitrites and nitrates that we have been ingesting lately. We really eat too much processed foods. I like sausages, lunch meats, hotdogs, etc. We eliminated beef from our diet several years ago with hubby's cousin died of CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease). We just decided we didn't want to take any chances, no matter how slim, and we knew that too much beef wasn't good for us anyway. We eat a lot of chicken. A lot. So I found my self buying more and more turkey smoked sausages, pork sausages, ham, etc. to alleviate some of the chicken boredom. But I think we eat way too much of the N/N filled foods.

We have found that Hormel makes a good bacon that is N/N free. I stock up when it is on sale. They also make good N/N turkey and ham lunch meats. I buy it when it is on sale and sometimes I even have a coupon for it. My daughter loves turkey and eats it often as a snack. Just turkey, no bread or anything. I haven't found any bologna or hotdogs in my area that are N/N free. I am sure Earth Fare may have something, but they are very pricy. But I need to check it out anyway. But in the meantime, I thought I might try making my own sausage with ground turkey or chicken. The next time my local grocery has ground chicken or turkey on sale I am going to use this recipe. If you have made your own sausage, will you share your recipe?

TURKEY BREAKFAST SAUSAGE

1 pound ground turkey

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, salt, sage, thyme, nutmeg and cayenne. Shape into eight patties. In a large skillet, cook patties in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Drain on paper towels.

Sunday: Ham and Cheese Sliders (Pinterest recipe) and Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup (leftovers will be put in freezer)

Loving my freezer meals and putting more back in. I call this Feeding the Freezer. I'm planning on slicing and dicing some of the ham and placing in freezer bags to use for future meals as well as making my favorite Ham and Cheese Muffins and Ham Biscuits for quick breakfasts and possibly a few ham casserole type meals for the freezer, yet to be decided. Thank you for stopping by Chaos Cottage.

Friday, January 13, 2012

In my life this week…trying to get back into the groove of things around here. Making lots of plans but having a hard time getting going. There's a lot to get done around here before spring so that we can put our home on the market.

In our homeschool this week…school started back up this week. Trying to get back into the groove here too.

I am inspired by…Extreme Home makeover is down the road and doing their wonderful work for a deserving family. Too bad their show is getting canceled. I always enjoyed the show. I always have a hard time watching the show without crying.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…went grocery shopping yesterday and the store was pretty busy. We received at least one inch of snow and those snow forecasts always bring out the shoppers. LOL It looks like dd is going to get her sleepover with her new friends at her grandmother's house tonight. It had to be cancelled earlier. I think they are going to watch the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie and eat pizza and have a good time. I am hoping for a date night with hubby tonight.

My favorite thing this week was…seeing hubby go off to work. We can't praise our God enough for this awesome opportunity he has given my husband. God is good. Hubs will be working 6:30 to 3:30 pm for a good while while in training. Early mornings and early bedtimes. This will be an adjustment for all of us.

Things I’m working on…I have a to-do list two pages long. Haven't felt quite up to tackling much of it yet. But I'll get around to it.

I’m reading…same thing. I just can't get into the reading groove either. I think I am spending too much time online. Hmmm...something to think about.

I’m cooking…hoping to eat out tonight with a gift card but am planning on making bbq chicken in the crockpot this weekend. Yumm-o!

Friday, January 6, 2012

In my life this week…last week of winter break before we start up school again. It was just my daughter and I Monday evening through Friday afternoon. Hubby had new employee stuff to do in Chattanooga. We watched the telly and I did a lot of freezer meals.

In our homeschool this week…we were off! It is so nice to have a true winter break. Last year, our first year of homeschooling, it seems we were always playing catch-up. We were always way behind in our work. Not this year. We're homeschooling experts now! LOL Not! But we are so much better.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…I haven't left the house all week. We had a cold front come through and I was busy with all those freezer meals that I just stayed in.

*edited to add that only hubby and I ate some of this last night. There was so much leftover I was still able to fill up two 8x8 pans for the freezer and I only used a 12 oz. box of bow ties. It was very good. Better than I thought it would be. When reheating it I am thinking I might need to add a little more milk as the bows really soak up the creamy goodness. So we will be eating this again, at least twice, in the next few months.

Tuesday: Chili Corn Dog Casserole (freeze one), more Salad (didn't get to this meal last week-too many leftovers)

This will be a week of feeding the freezer. It's just as easy to double a recipe, or in our case, since we are a family of three to divide the meal into two 8x8 pans and eat one and freeze the other. Makes for easy meals down the road.

Since I cooked a turkey this weekend, I will be feeding the freezer with some of that too. It will be showing up in the Chicken and Bows today as well as the following meals later: Turkey and Biscuit Pie, Chicken Tetrazzini, Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Gumbo Soup and if there is enough turkey left, Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup. Today I am going to boil the carcass and make broth for the freezer. I already have three containers of stock from the pan when I baked the turkey. I bought some noodles so I'm sure dear daughter will want some noodle soup this week too. I am really stretching that turkey :)

That's what's cooking at my house. Thank you for stopping by. I will be glad to share any recipes with you.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

I did this last year and updated it at the end of December. I am doing it again this year to help me see how much I will accomplish, with the Lord's help. Here are my thoughts:

Home:

Our home is still in transition. If you have been reading my blog in the last year, you know my hubby has been unemployed for three years and we decided in 2011 to sell the house so we don't have a house payment any longer and buy another house. We have a lot of equity in this home. We began taking things to storage to make our home more presentable for sale. Then hubby was diagnosed with extremely high blood pressure and was given strict instructions to not do anything strenuous. This put a halt to our moving plans. We just had too much to do. Fortunately, and praise the Lord, he was offered a job and his blood pressure began dropping. It was at it's all time lowest on the day of his physical for this job! We agreed with our realtor to wait until spring 2012 to put the house on the market as things slow down so much during the cold weather. That gives us additional time to do all the things we need to do.

So, with that in mind, it has been very hard to stick to any kind of cleaning schedule with the house in chaos. Yet laundry continues, meal preparation and cleaning up goes on, vacuuming up cat hair has to be done. But the house is not fit for visitors on most days. My dining room is full of boxes and it is obvious we are moving.

I want to teach daughter homemaking skills, but that may wait until we are in our new home. But I can teach her some cooking and dish washing skills in the meantime. She is also going to get a few new chores added to her nonexistent official chores, when hubby begins his new job. One is cleaning the litter boxes. I despise litter boxes. The other is taking out trash and recyclables and getting them to the streets on Tuesday evenings as our pick-up day here is Wednesday.

Our garage is still a work in progress. I swear you would never know that anything was taken to storage, but it was. There are still many things in there that need to be sold or given away and stored and thrown away.

We have a small plumbing issue that popped up the other day. My sink in the master bath has started leaking. Our plumber put in new faucets and drain recently and has to come back and fix it. Not a big deal. I am just using husband's sink on his side of the vanity.

We have a kitchen window that needs repaired. It's just the outside wood trim. Which reminds me, hubby did get the wood replaced in the garage door opening that was rotting and caulked and painted that during the summer. I left that off my post in December where I took a look at our resolutions and accomplishments in 2011.

We have the ceiling in the den that still needs repairing. A professional drywall man will have to be hired to do that.

Front door didn't get painted in 2011 but hubby did paint all the trim and the railings and some of the deck's french door trim. I may paint it as well as the interior garage door.

We will need to get the yard professionally done, trimming and mulching, etc. right before listing it in the spring.

I need to pressure wash the porch, walkway, driveway, fence and deck. Then I need to stain the deck.

Paint has to be touched up throughout the house and smudges removed from the walls.

Blog:

Continue to try to post at least three times a week. Add more pictures to my posts. I want to make a household notebook and blog about it and a menu notebook and blog about that. You can find these all over the internet and I have wanted to do these for a long time. I think this is the year for that.

Family:

Faithfully attend church as a family.Do more things together as a family, like bowling, movies, walks, museums, board games, wii games, picnics with excursions. Dollywood will be on our agenda this year thanks to hubby's aunt who bought us all season passes. We had to forgo those the last few years.Re institute meal-time devotions and dinner at the kitchen table on most nights.Eat more fruits and veggies.Drink more water.Implement age appropriate chores for daughter.Do more volunteering at church.

Homeschool:

Include some bible studies that I have purchased into addition to her school curriculum (which already has bible).Hubby is going to teach daughter about Photoshop and get her into more photography. She has quite the eye.Daughter has shown an interest in guitar lessons. Check into that.Take daughter on more field trips.Teach her some homemaking skills.

Personal:

Take my vitamins daily.Drink more water.Exercise (ugh, this is so hard for me)Daily Bible and prayer time.Journal more often. (My blog is a journal, but I also hand write in a personal journal)Get to bed earlier (so hard for us, we are all night owls)Continue to learn to crochet.Get back to scrapbooking (just had 100 photos printed this week-great deal at Walgreens, so excited to work on my albums again!)

These are my goals for this year. Most of the ones listed under Home, will get done in the next few months. I am hoping that posting this will help me to be more accountable and I intend to check back and update my progress throughout the year. You can't make resolutions and then never check back. You have to do that after the novelty of the new year wears off.

My job description

"I oversee a small organization---Where hundreds of decisions are made daily,Where property and resources are managed,Where health and nutritional needs are determined,Where finances and futures are discussed and debated,Where projects are planned and events are arranged,Where transportation and scheduling are critical,Where team-building is a priority,Where careers begin and end.... I am a Family Manager."

From the book, The Family Manager, by Kathy Peel

About Me

I'm a Christian, a Stay At Home Mom, and Mother of one not so little girl anymore who brings me such joy. I'm a blessed wife of a wonderful, hard working man who is the love of my life. Join me on my journey to getting my life organized, feeding my family and enjoying life! And we have FOUR cats. Make that FIVE cats now! We're crazy!